Slow Smarts
by May Dawn
Summary: You know Carter, for such a smart person, you can be awfully slow. He then stepped through and the wormhole closed.End of Ripple Effect.


Sam watched as the last of the groups made their way up the ramp and through the wormhole. The event horizon rippling as each body made their way into the wormhole. She was unlikely to ever to see some of the familiar faces she had been lucky enough to see again. She would miss both Janet and Martuf. Seeing them again made the loose of hers fresh and real again.

Then there were the things that they had said about her other self. They swam through her mind preventing her a single moments peace. On maternity leave, with who's baby? It had been like that with all her other selves; married, on maternity leave, back from the honeymoon, yet she had no idea with whom.

Every time she would go to ask the question, the speaker gave her a look as if she should know. If she knew she wouldn't have been trying to ask in the first place. After that she just gave up trying to ask. Even the other Daniels and Teal'cs gave her that look. Personally she was getting tired of it.

Sighing she turned to leave the gate room and head back to her lab. It would seem empty now, where as before it seemed overfull and cramped. She didn't know if she was happy with that. It had been thrilling to work again with herself.

"Wait Sam we have one more group." Daniel placed a hand on her arm as she turned. He was giving her that look again. Annoyance raced through her. She suppressed the urge to shack him.

"I though that was the last. I haven't seen anymore. Why wasn't I told?" Daniel just shook his head.

"You didn't meet them because they didn't have a you, and well… I guess you should just meet them." A moment of sadness passed through Daniel's face but he just turned and looked at the door. It opened as a planet link was established, followed by the now familiar whooshing sound. Sam watched and waited for the secret that no one seemed to want to tell her.

A Daniel and a Teal'c came first. That wasn't what caught her eye. IT was who followed that got her full attention. Never in a million years did she think she would look onto that face again. Why would they keep him from her? She had the right to know he was here.

"Dad?!" It came out as a strangled gasp. They should have let her know, he was her dad after all. A silent tear made it's way down her cheek. It wasn't often that she lost composer like this but it was just beyond her why they wouldn't let her see her own dad.

Her father smiled at her and opened his arms. "Hello Sam."

She needed no further invitation. She was in his arms before anyone else could say a word. His embrace was warm and comforting. God how she had missed him. She was now truly crying, though she still hadn't made a sound.

"I've missed you so much Dad." She felt him gently rub a hand down her back as he sighed into her hair. Slowly he pulled out of their hug and took her by the shoulders.

"They told me what happed Sammy, and I'm sorry." Sam just shook her head and wiped her eyes. She gave him a warm smile and hugged him tightly again.

"Carter, he does need to breath." The voice pulled her out of the daze she had been in and she looked up in shock at her former CO.

"Sir?" He let out a chuckle as she let go of her father. At first she thought that this had me her O'Neill but now that she looked at him she could see that he was not. He was a general, sure, but he was still at the SGC.

"Don't look so shock Carter. It's not like I'm dead too."

"No Sir, only missing from the team and flying a desk in Washington." She suppressed a grin as she saw this O'Neill shudder in sympathetic pain for his counter part.

"What I want to know is how the heck I let that happen. Flying a desk for crying out loud. What was I thinking?" He gave her a look then, one that she sometimes caught her O'Neill giving her but didn't understand.

"Can't say I know Sir." She didn't miss the fact that the rest of the group had moved to the other side of the gate room to give her and this O'Neill room to talk alone.

"Jack." She looked at him a moment.

"Jack." She repeated. A boyish grin spread across his face.

"Good, you're not under my command after all." The grin was replaced by a smirk.

"Sir - Jack, can I ask where I am." The smirk had become a full grown mocking smile.

"Well Carter it looks to me that you are in the gate room of the SGC." He mockingly looked around them. "That is unless I'm confused."

Sam just rolled her eyes. "I meant the me in your world."

"Last I left you, you were on the base working as a civilian scientist. Most likely trying to keep Charlie from braking anything." His eyes became glazed as he spoke and he smiled fondly.

"Charlie?"

"Your son." He looked at her then. A puzzled look crossed her features.

"Wasn't that the name of your - "

"O'Neill we must leave now." His Teal'c was halfway up the ramp and O'Neill nodded his head at him.

"Be there in a sec big guy." He turned back to Sam and did something completely unexpected.

Gently he took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Take care of yourself Sam." He whispered. He let go of her and walked up the ramp to the even horizon. He stopped, took one look at her and shook his head, a smile on his face.

"You know Carter, for such a smart person, you can be awfully slow." He then stepped through and the wormhole closed.

Sam absently touched her cheek where a cool object had pressed to her skin when the General had touched her; a wedding ring. Suddenly everything made sense, the looks, the honeymoon, and the maternity. Yes she was a very slow person.

Grinning she turned and headed to her lab, this time with a mission in mind. She had a phone call to make and a long story to tell a waiting ear. She figured he would like it since he had been flying a desk all day.


End file.
